LOS ANGELES – It won’t be at the Hall of Fame, but the stars of “Bull Durham” will get together and talk about their movie on the occasion of its 15th anniversary.
Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Robert Wuhl and writer-director Ron Shelton will appear on the season premiere of “On the Record with Bob Costas,” which returns to HBO May 2.
The four had been scheduled to speak at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., this weekend to discuss the film, considered one of the best baseball movies of all time. The hall’s president, Dale Petroskey, canceled the event because he feared anti-war activists Robbins and Sarandon would turn the event into a political forum.
Petroskey, a former Reagan administration press aide, said in a letter to the two stars that the Hall of Fame “as an institution … stand(s) behind our president and our troops” in the war in Iraq. He also said that criticism of President Bush “helps undermine the U.S. position, which ultimately could put our troops in even more danger.”
Petroskey was roundly criticized for canceling the event, and Robbins and others noted that the Hall of Fame had played host to White House Press Secretary (and avid Yankee fan) Ari Fleischer last year. In a press release touting Fleischer’s appearance, Petroskey wrote that “We are thrilled to welcome him to Cooperstown and hear his perspective on life in the White House and the current political scene.”
“On the Record” is returning for a 12-week run on HBO. The show will air at 11:30 p.m. EDT Fridays. Costas this week won a sports Emmy for best studio host for his work on the series, which is entering its third season.
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SEANN WILLIAM SCOTT, TIMBERLAKE TO CO-HOST MTV MOVIE AWARDS
HOLLYWOOD – Justin Timberlake and Seann William Scott (“Bulletproof Monk”) has signed on to co-host the 2003 MTV Movie Awards, organizers announced Wednesday.
“You could not ask for a more dynamic duo than Justin and Seann to help celebrate the year in movies,” says MTV President Van Toffler. “The MTV Movie Awards has always been about the twisted, unexpected moments and this year’s show will no doubt provide our audience with a night of celebrity sloppiness and fun.”
“The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers” and “Spider-man” received five nominations each, while Eminem is up for two awards for his debut movie performance in “8 Mile.” Destiny’s Child singer Beyonce Knowles also received a nomination for best breakthrough female.
Viewer voting for the awards show is already up from last year by approximately 21 percent, according to the network. Over 1 million votes have been cast in the first two and a half days of online voting.
Scott, who currently stars opposite Chow Yun-Fat in “Bulletproof Monk,” will next appear in the “American Pie” sequel, “American Wedding.” Meanwhile, Timberlake will be promoting his solo album, “Justified,” on the upcoming Justified & Stripped North American tour with Christina Aguilera, which kicks off June 4 in Phoenix, Ariz.
The MTV Movie Awards will take place at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium on Saturday, May 31. The show will then air on the cable network on June 5th at 9 p.m. EDT.
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VIEWERS LIKE FOX’S “PERSONALITY,’ WB’S WEDDING
LOS ANGELES – Monica Lewinsky can still draw a crowd.
The former White House intern whose name is synonymous with scandal helped Fox get nice ratings for the premiere of “Mr. Personality,” the unscripted show she hosts. On a decidedly more family-friendly note, a wedding on The WB’s “7th Heaven” also drew strong numbers Monday night.
“Mr. Personality,” in which an investment-firm sales associate named Hayley Arp chooses a fella from 20 suitors – all wearing masks that cover their faces – drew 12.2 million viewers to its premiere, second to CBS’ “Everybody Loves Raymond.” More importantly to Fox, won the hour among the coveted adults 18-49 demographic.
Among that group, which advertisers target most heavily, the show averaged a 5.7 rating. Only its lead-in, an “American Idol” special, drew a higher rating Monday.
The premiere also compares favorably to its unscripted brethren. It drew more viewers than any reality debut since “Survivor: The Amazon,” including the latest edition of “The Bachelor.” It still has a ways to go to catch Fox’s biggest unscripted hit, however. “Joe Millionaire” averaged 18.6 million viewers and a 10.1 rating among the 18-49 set when it debuted in January.
An hour earlier Monday, the “7th Heaven” wedding of Lucy (Beverley Mitchell) drew 8.3 million well-wishers, trailing only Fox and CBS. It finished second in the hour (behind the “Idol” special) among The WB’s target audiences of adults 18-34 (2.9 rating) and people 12-34 (3.6).
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“90210′ CAST RETURNS TO WEST BEVERLY
LOS ANGELES – Almost 10 years to the day they walked out of class shouting “Donna Martin graduates!,” the cast of “Beverly Hills, 90210” is coming back to Fox for a reunion special.
Alas, Donna herself, Tori Spelling, isn’t scheduled to take part.
Several other members of the original cast, including prodigal daughter Shannen Doherty, will be part of the special, which has the working title of “Beverly Hills, 90210: 10-Year High School Reunion.” The special is scheduled for 9 p.m. EDT May 11.
While it would be good, campy fun to see a fictional episode about what Brandon, Dylan, Brenda and the rest of the West Beverly kids are up to, “Reunion” will instead be an interview special. In addition to Doherty, Jason Priestley, Luke Perry, Jennie Garth and Gabrielle Carteris – all of the West Beverly Class of “93 – and James Eckhouse and Carol Potter, who played Brandon and Brenda’s parents, are scheduled to appear.
The teen characters graduated from high school in May 1993, hence the special’s title.
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WAGER ONLINE ON SERIES CANCELLATIONS
LOS ANGELES – Developing ulcers while you wait to discover if your favorite shows will return for the fall? Want to earn some scratch while the acid eats away at your stomach lining? Antigua-based online bookmaker BetWWTS.com is taking bets on the fate of several popular and not-so-popular network television shows, offering hope and desolation to their fans.
Currently BetWWTS.com only has lines on five shows, whose grasp on renewal is tenuous at best. The group contains two shows on ABC and CBS and one on Fox.
“Each year a number of underperforming television programs and family favorites are cut by the networks drawing the ire of a loyal fan base of dedicated viewers,” says Simon Noble, CEO of BetWWTS.com. “Offering betting options on television shows being renewed is just the latest in a long line of entertainment betting options BetWWTS.com has offered.”
Things apparently aren’t looking good for David E. Kelley’s long-running Emmy winner “The Practice.” The legal drama had dipping ratings on Sunday, plummeting ratings in its new Monday time slop and now odds are 5:8 that the show won’t be back next season. Things are also bleak for ABC’s “Lost At Home,” which is 1:2 to be canceled.
Over at CBS, the report is a mixed bag for “Hack” and “The Agency.” Odds are 5:6 that the David Morse taxi-vigilante drama will be back, but only 13:10 that “The Agency” will live to investigate again.
BetWWTS.com is more positive on Fox’s “Cedric the Entertainer Presents,” which is 5:7 to return next fall.
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AP-NY-04-23-03 1634EDT
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